Nominate awards and fellows candidates; Reineke earns young scientist award

Nominate now for IFT Awards and Fellows
Nominations are being accepted for the 2015 IFT Achievement Awards and Fellows.

IFT Achievement Awards recognize individuals and teams for remarkable contributions in research, applications, and service. The IFT Fellow designation is an honor bestowed upon an IFT professional member by his or her peers, recognizing exemplary professionalism in and contributions to the field of food science and technology.

The deadline to submit nominations for the IFT Achievement Awards is December 1, 2014, and the deadline to submit nominations for the IFT Fellows is February 1, 2015. The winners will be announced and honored at the 2015 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo^® in Chicago, Ill., July 11–14. For more information, visit www.ift.org/membership/awards-and-recognition, or e-mail [email protected].

Reineke earns Young Scientist Award
Kai Reineke, a student member of IFT, was among the recipients of the International Union of Food Science and Technology’s 2014 Young Scientist Award.

Reineke has worked as a research associate at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim in Potsdam, Germany, since 2012. After completing his degree in food technology in 2008, Reineke entered the PhD program at the Technical University of Berlin, where he studied germination and inactivation mechanisms of bacterial endospores during high-pressure thermal sterilization. His current research focuses on the gentle decontamination of fresh produce and dry products by using cold atmospheric plasma, isostatic high pressure, and pulsed electric fields.

“During my scientific career I published 17 peer-reviewed papers and won eight awards,” said Reineke, “[but] I´m most proud of the IUFoST Young Scientist Award.” He added that he was looking forward to meeting other young scientists at this summer’s event in Montreal.

Winners are all under the age of 35 and are working in their first postdoctoral or academic positions. The award is based upon their research, which must have an international application reflecting the theme of Research That Resonates, along with recommendations from other professionals.

Jeong receives Salmonella research grant
Michigan State University researcher and assistant professor Sanghyup Jeong was awarded a $380,000 grant through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to look for ways to reduce the risk of Salmonella in dry products. According to a news release, Salmonella outbreaks in low-moisture foods like nuts are increasingly common and have the potential to cause expensive recalls.

“This research project will deliver a robust tool and approach for understanding dry particle food flow and microbiological contamination by bacteria in dry nuts,” Jeong, an IFT member, said in the release. “This should lead to future applications with other low-moisture food products and nanoparticle contaminants. This fundamental approach will help food researchers, manufacturers, and processors deliver safer food products to consumers.”

Santerre becomes Jefferson Science Fellow
Charles R. Santerre, a professor of food toxicology in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, has been accepted as a National Academy of Sciences Jefferson Science Fellow for 2014–2015. He will be hosted by the U.S. Dept. of State. Santerre, an IFT professional member, served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology Policy Fellow and was hosted by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service in 2010–2011.

Strand joins Wixon
Leda Strand has become vice president of research and development at Wixon. In this role, Strand, an IFT professional member, will coordinate the efforts of the department’s food technologists, flavor chemists, meat scientists, and research professionals to ensure the creation of superior products. She will also oversee sensory analysis and the foodservice/culinary team.

“Leda’s expertise will drive product development initiatives for our customers, delivering the latest in on-trend food and beverages for industrial, consumer product, protein, and foodservice markets,” said Peter Gottsacker, president of Wixon. 

Strand’s past roles have provided her with more than 20 years of experience in product development and quality management. She most recently served as product development manager for Chr. Hansen and formerly as Wixon’s director of technology applications and industrial ingredients.

Horton to consult for Z Trim
Z Trim Holdings Inc. has engaged Chandler Horton as an external consultant. In this role, Horton, an IFT member, will advise and assist the management team in areas including sales and marketing initiatives, strategic partnership opportunities, and raising awareness about Z Trim solutions. Horton spent 37 years at global food services company Keystone Foods LLC; as its former vice president of research and development, he led the company’s R&D process.

IFT notes the passing of the following member: Barbara Morley

Section & Division meetings

Bluegrass
Oct. 21: Suppliers’ night. Louisville, Ky. Contact Susan Tomassetti at 502-551-8488 or [email protected], or visit http://bit.ly/1zAovoa.

Maryland
Oct. 9: Suppliers’ night. Baltimore, Md. E-mail [email protected], or visit http://bit.ly/1nXtcG5.

Minnesota
Oct. 28: Suppliers’ night. Minneapolis, Minn. Contact Tina Hacker at 651-739-9098 or [email protected], or visit http://bit.ly/1oeUMJ9.